Curse

JMadisonIV · Jun 20, 2005, 03:23 PM // 15:23

....that is talkative, social, and not in a hurry to rush ahead into 50 billion monsters trying to get 5 quests done in 2 minutes.

does anyone out there know how to take their time?

every group I've been in in the week I've been playing...nobody talks. the minute we load into the instance, everyone takes off like a bat out of hell in whichever direction we need to go. where's the fire? are all the quests timed? and again, through the entire session......nobody talks, unless it's to ask what quest we are doing. ugh.

UnOrthOdOx · Jun 20, 2005, 03:39 PM // 15:39

Speaking personally, I'm not a talkative person in general to begin with. This goes to real life as well as games.

And, more often than not, no offense, but I've found the intelligence level of the general pick up group to be not worth wasting words on. As such, you will NEVER see me strike up the conversation outside of my friends/guild. And, chances are, I'll listen for a while before you get me responding at all. If it's a mature group by some miracle, I'll join in, though. If it's just more hormonal teenager/maturity challenged adult idiots talking about sex/calling each other gay/insert other moronic topic here, I'll just tune anything other than strict topic discussion out. If you're into roleplaying, I'll get into that. My Ranger constantly bickers with my guild's elementalists on the evils of using fire against plants.

Typically I have ~1-2 hours to play. This makes for a very goal-driven playing session. Yes, I'm interested in getting that quest done, getting to the next location, whatever. I have no problem taking my time doing it, though, and really don't care for the sprinters rushing through everything. I'll take my time, let the monks regenerate mana, pull, fight tactically, etc. No problem taking it slow within reason.

Great Gjl · Jun 20, 2005, 03:41 PM // 15:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by JMadisonIV

....that is talkative, social, and not in a hurry to rush ahead into 50 billion monsters trying to get 5 quests done in 2 minutes.

does anyone out there know how to take their time?

every group I've been in in the week I've been playing...nobody talks. the minute we load into the instance, everyone takes off like a bat out of hell in whichever direction we need to go. where's the fire? are all the quests timed? and again, through the entire session......nobody talks, unless it's to ask what quest we are doing. ugh.

The only way to get a group like that is to play with friends/guild mates I'm afraid =/. Playing with mindless drones makes me feel like I'm playing with henchmen.

I agree with UnOrthodox, though. 95% of people out there are not worth talking to ANYWAY.

Wu Shao · Jun 20, 2005, 03:52 PM // 15:52

If you are not in a guild yet or would like to play with "mature" people, then you can look me up in game anytime.

Name is Wu Shao and the guild i am in, is called Smoke and Fire. I happened to group with them one day and never looked back. Great bunch of guys and we try and group up together and help with quests.

Lady~Bug · Jun 20, 2005, 04:11 PM // 16:11

I have had such a bad experience in groups ... that I just don't join them ... I play alone with hired helpers so I can explore the game and enjoy finding new areas. Just playing to get the quest leaves so much out ... I want to try skills and fix my character to be better and groups running through the game just isn't my kind of game. Also they expect the monk to heal everything for them ... so blame the monk if you die. Most group are just imature players... I am working to buy a guild hall and have it ready for people that really do enjoy the game.

Ryoushi · Jun 20, 2005, 04:23 PM // 16:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wu Shao

If you are not in a guild yet or would like to play with "mature" people, then you can look me up in game anytime.

Name is Wu Shao and the guild i am in, is called Smoke and Fire. I happened to group with them one day and never looked back. Great bunch of guys and we try and group up together and help with quests.

Yeah, feel free to whisper me as well

Anyways I don't run into a lot of immature people in GW (which really surprises me) but I really wish a lot of my groups would communicate more. Like the first time I did Riverside, my party saw fit to never talk before the mission despite my repeated attempts at sparking conversation, and then when we got into the mission they saw fit to run in all sorts of directions.

asdar · Jun 20, 2005, 04:29 PM // 16:29

Here's the trick but you have to show the patience you talk about for it to work. When you want to do a mission you have to start your own group and your request for others to join should look something like this.

"Looking for others to join mission that want to go slow and socialize, not a group for rushers"

Now the trick to that group is to take what you get and start going over strategy. Draw the other people in the group out.

Just for instance say you get 2 others to join, one warrior and one necro. First I'll ask if anyone has any experience on the mission. If they reply I'll listen and ask questions. This usually gets them comfortable with talking in the group. If they don't reply then I'll ask using their name, like, "warrior_soandso, I've never played a warrior before, is there anything special you like that my class can offer?" Hopefully they'll talk in group.

Then about that time it's time to do a zone wide !all again with your previous message repeated.

After the third time I ask in any district I'll tell the group, "Let's go to district ?? and look for more," and then ask in that zone as well.

The longest and most districts I've had to do that is three and about 15 minutes. It's important that you get everyone to say something in the chat. I wouldn't go so far as to boot someone, but I would ask pointed questions of the quiet ones.

The funny thing is that usually you get through missions faster with people willing to show some patience and I've never wiped out with a group of patient people.

I'm not sure if this helps but it works for me.

Jijimuge · Jun 20, 2005, 04:34 PM // 16:34

When doing missions, I've soooo often found that I'm standing there typing "OK. So what kind of strategy are we going to pull for this group" whilst at least half the group has already run off and aggroed the first creature.....sigh......

I haven't often found good groups, but one of the best things to do is to try to have a long chat with people in the towns/outposts. Usually, if they're talkative there, then they'll be fairly talkative in a mission. Also, make sure you SAY that you don't want to rush through. And finally, look for people who talk properly - I'm much more likely to pick someone who says "Ranger/Necro Trapper looking for cautious group" or (even better) "Grizzled Trapper looking for brave comrades to retrieve the crystals" (perhaps slightly rich dialogue, but what the hey) than someone who says "W/Mo LFG Miss+Bonus fully inf"....and if anyone uses 1337-speak, I avoid them like the plague.

I've also found a tendency for mesmers to be amongst the best in this regard, possibly because the class appeals to those who like to outsmart their opponent. It's by no means a universal law, though....there are rushing mesmers out there too.

Old Dood · Jun 20, 2005, 04:38 PM // 16:38

I understand what you are saying Fully! I can't stand running my tail off through a mission/quest. I am tired after all that. I usually read what people are saying and whisper to ones I feel have the social skills to communicate.

Feel free to add me to your friend's list and call on me whenever you want to have Fun time playing. I love to stop..heal...recharge and generally plan our next moves. Not worth doing a mission over and over because of senseless dying.

Algren Cole · Jun 20, 2005, 04:39 PM // 16:39

meh. I just take henchies with me. 9/10 player controlled characters are worthless anyway....and I don't really want to bother with people that don't listen, talk shit, or feel the need to spam the Team window with asinine shit. Henchies do what you expect them to do and they don't talk. I'm normally teamed up with a friend and a group of henchies....but if you'd like to join us we'd be more than happy to give you a shot

IGN: Algren Cole

Swarnt Brightstar · Jun 20, 2005, 04:42 PM // 16:42

Immature people annoy me so I usually group with henches, or my friends/guild mates.... everyone else usually curses or runs as soon as we get a group together... or just leaves

whisper me for someone mature

Night · Jun 20, 2005, 05:32 PM // 17:32

Did everyone have the same voice chat program? Maybe that's the issue. No wait you meant typeative not talkative. I'll talk all day long when using TS or Ventrillo but by the time I get finished typing 3 words I am either swarmed by Mobs or dead so I'd rather spend my time going through a mission non-typing so call me untypeative but not untalkative. Besides I am lazy not unsociable. ;-)

Now if you want to hop on a voice chat server, hey I am all there ready to joke, laugh, make fun myself, or tell the world's funniest stories (at least thats how I see hear em). Maybe its not unsociables but rather folks who type slow. So if you want talkative, I'd be more than happy to see if I can't get you access to our ventrillo server but if you want typeative, there I can't help you.

Akshara · Jun 20, 2005, 06:27 PM // 18:27

Quote:

Here's the trick but you have to show the patience you talk about for it to work...

I tried this over the weekend on two missions, starting up groups using very descriptive LFG messages, and then asking questions and conversing with each new member that joined. I'd whisper each person before giving them an invitation, and let them know that our group wasn't in a rush and that I just wanted them to be aware of the kind of group they were joining. Once joined up, we would discuss our characters strengths, our approach to tactics, who had a res spell or signet and what the healing capabilities of each member were.

At first in each instance, all was going well. But then people would start to get impatient... finding a group of six to eight members like this isn't easy. I'm running around whispering individuals, posting local messages, responding to invite requests and conversing with the team as described above, and the team doesn't seem to be getting how much effort and typing I'm doing since they don't see all the conversations I'm juggling.

After about 10 minutes, which really isn't that long, the team messages start pouring in... "WTF, just pick someone already" and "Let's go" and "Why didn't you get so an so?" and "Just take a hench" and "just grab anyone" and "Get the ****ing healer hench and LET'S GO!!!" One person says, "Guys, I gotta leave in 15 minutes," even though we talked about the group not being in a rush to do the mission before he joined. Each time I politely told the team, "Guys, we're not in a hurry here. If you need to go faster, maybe it would be best to join another team." People drop, which makes it take even longer, and then the team begins to get impatient again, and so on...

Frankly, it was an extremely stressful experience that I don't look forward to repeating. In the first group I formed, a friend of mine who is a good healer monk joined me in putting the team together, and even with a monk it took us like half an hour to find a team, with several drops and one kick along the way. The second time he wasn't available, so we had to poll for a healer... talk about a total headache. We ended up taking Alesia, because the team got really impatient after about 15 minutes of searching.

Sarus · Jun 20, 2005, 06:30 PM // 18:30

I think the main reason for this is you have people doing missions for the first time that want to take their time, enjoy the scenary, chit chat about strategy etc. Then you have the people who have played the mission 20 times before and are only doing it to cap a skill, advance a new character, do a bonus quest etc. I'm sorry but some of these missions I could probably run through with my eyes closed (I know it's sad). GW forces this on people so if you're gonna complain, complain to Anet not the player base.

Jun 20, 2005, 06:38 PM // 18:38

I like the patient groups also. For one thing, as a warrior I tend to rush forward into battle and of course, loot after the mob is dead. The rest of the group takes off for the next mob down the path and I find myself backtracking to pick up loot, then having to catch up with them while they aggro the next bunch of creatures. I've also been in quite a few groups that just run around without any sense of direction and aggro everything without any type of plan. That kills the roleplaying aspect for me and I wonder why some of these people don't just stick to the shooter games if all they want to do is kill, kill, kill. The henchmen are ok for some exploration but I've also gotten into big trouble just bringing them with me. I like joining up with other real people but more often than not it ends up in a race to the finish line.

FuriousSam · Jun 20, 2005, 06:38 PM // 18:38

That brings up another topic... guilds. I noticed that in GW it's really hard to get to know people and to recuit them into your guild unless you know them already or have been playing with them a lot (normally about 3 - 5 missions). Once in a while you get a few social people, have a good time and maybe get into their guilds (I am already in a guild with real life friends so I am stuck in the small guild). But a lot of times you just don't get the aspect of getting to know one another and I guess that's why there are a lot of people spaming in cities trying to recuit, but would anyone really want to join a random guild?

Oh and sorry to highjack the thread so I'll go back to the topic: Since I already have a character that beat the game and now my other characters are just for unlocking skills, I normally just take henchies unless there's a guildmate online. With my first character I have met some nice people (very few) but more often than not it's not worth the hassle to go through the trouble I went through again.

Akshara · Jun 20, 2005, 06:48 PM // 18:48

And speaking of this, I don't understand why most people want to rush from finishing one mission right into the next one without taking a short break. I've been in a few groups now that were exceptional and went through the first mission successfully (both of the ones I put together above included), but then failed the subsequent mission horribly. And in my opinion, it was due to rushing inbetween the missions, and not making the same effort that was done to begin the group.

I'm the kind of person who likes to take five after a long mission without just rushing into the next one... get up and stretch my legs, hit the kitchen and restroom, go outside and take a smoke, see how my wife is doing, whatever. When the group suggests continuing together, I'll tell the group that I need to take five before continuing, and ask if that's cool with everyone, to which I usually get several "sure" and "good idea" type of responses, and we all agree to meet back in ten minutes.

Each time when I returned (less than 8 minutes max), we had lost a member or two, and had to begin the polling for members process again. But at this point, the team becomes increasingly impatient to keep going, so we choose someone without the proper screening approach used earlier, or if there was another party leader, they aren't necessarily as "in charge" anymore with the member screening process since the team dynamics changed during the mission experience, and everyone is more vocal now about who to choose.

Because of my experiences with this, I no longer recommend continuing with a successful group into a second mission, which is unfortunate in a way. Yet it is a much, much worse experience when a group that was stellar in their first mission together completely falls apart and dies in the second one.

Akshara · Jun 20, 2005, 06:58 PM // 18:58

Quote:

Then you have the people who have played the mission 20 times before and are only doing it to cap a skill, advance a new character, do a bonus quest etc.

No kidding, and it's extremely annoying to party with these people. They either pull the "know-it-all" approach and/or talk down to the new players, rush through like a bat out of hell without taking the time to even pick up loot, or "decide" for the group that the bonus is a waste of time or too difficult for our group and do everything they can to screw it up for everyone else. I've encountered each of these too many times now.

One can always tell during the first cinematic what type of players are in the party. It's kinda depressing when that first one pops up and 4 out of 6 players want to skip it in the first two seconds. I never choose skip unless I'm the only one who hasn't voted to, even if I've seen it before. I've been in a team where 7 out of 8 wanted to skip it, yet I'd not seen it before and let it play. And afterwards was given flack by the group for not skipping... and this was a group that I had specifically asked whether they were in a hurry or not before and upon joining them.

arnansnow · Jun 20, 2005, 07:00 PM // 19:00

Do you skip the cutscenes when your party is under attack by enemies?

Akshara · Jun 20, 2005, 07:06 PM // 19:06

Quote:

Do you skip the cutscenes when your party is under attack by enemies?

I have no idea what this is referring to. Never had a cutscene show up while we were being attacked... that would seem kind of silly, or just really poor programming design. But I've not encountered it regardless.

And no, I never vote to skip the cinematic unless I'm the only one who hasn't.